Chinakhov logged an assist in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.

EDGE Analysis

This was Chinakhov's first point in eight contests since he returned from a 39-game absence due to an upper-body injury. He's gone minus-8 with 13 shots on net since his return, which also saw him scratched once due to poor performance. He's still nominally on the second line, but he saw just 12:07 of ice time Friday and hasn't exceeded 14:31 in any outing since he came off injured reserve. The 24-year-old winger is at 15 points, 68 shots on net, 47 hits and a minus-6 rating through 29 appearances this season. He's at risk of getting lost in the shuffle for the Blue Jackets, who will likely integrate more prospects for the 2025-26 campaign.